What is the ALERT Project?

How prepared agencies are to respond to a disaster can often mean the difference between life and death for those affected. Improving preparedness means, when a disaster strikes agencies have the necessary resources for an immediate, effective, appropriate response and the individuals responsible know how to use those resources.

The ALERT Project aims to contribute toward an improvement in effective delivery of humanitarian assistance to disaster-affected communities. The outcome of the project will be to increase emergency preparedness capacity in 8 pilot countries and provide the humanitarian community with an information management system that facilitates an increased level of emergency preparedness and maintains their operational preparedness at a consistent and appropriate level. The system will be designed to be freely available and compatible with the wide range of humanitarian agencies irrespective of their size or mandate.

ALERT is one of the key innovation projects under the START Network, and is funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) as part of its Disaster and Emergency Preparedness Programme (DEPP) Portfolio.

The ALERT Project is led by the following consortium of organisations: CARE, Concern Worldwide, Handicap International, HelpAge International, Islamic Relief, Oxfam, and Coventry University. Several companies, such as risk management companies and law firms, are providing pro bono technical support to the project.